The Dark Knight
Filmmaking is an endeavor that require numerous talents both behind and in front of the camera to work . On a production the size of it ofThe Dark Knight , the number of collaborators can stretch into the hundreds , with each take to work in harmony to make each iconic panorama flow .
From the costume designers to the special effects team to the musical composer , each output team member perform at the top of their game to makeChristopher Nolan ’s urban crime Bat - flick a global phenomenon . As detailed in the bookThe Art And Making Of The Dark Knight Trilogy , here are 10 absorbing insights intoThe Dark Knightfrom the movie maker themselves .
Nolan Crafted The Ending First
No unknown to form backward to assure a taradiddle , Nolan prefer to image his termination first and work backward from there . According to his crony Jonathan , who co - wrote the film , Nolan is " very driven by conclusion , " and the range of a function of an on - the - run Batman being chased by police was the jumping - off point for the director .
Initially , the scene was envisioned as a foot chase across rooftops before acquire into the iconic Bat - Pod driving through the street . Though the tale necessitated the change , the sobering content of Batman being pursued by the people he verify to protect remain .
The Villains Drove The Narrative
As the author brainstormed storyline for the film , they asked what the repercussions of Batman ’s presence would be and what kinds of criminals would egress . The solvent was Heath Ledger ’s Joker , a man stick out out of a desire to keep an eye on Batman ’s rule - force world burn down . Drawing inspiration from Steven Spielberg , they want the character to feel like the shark inJaws , an ignorant military unit of nature .
Conversely , even though Bruce Wayne got the most covert time , it was settle early on on that Harvey Dent would be the protagonist of the level . As co - writer David S. Goyer notes , Harvey was conceived as the character who would change over the trend of the film as the Joker taint and eventually breaks him .
Wally Pfister Trained On IMAX Cameras For 3 Months
In December of 2007 , audiences got their first look at the moving-picture show via athrilling 6 - minute prologue , detailing the film ’s opening banking concern looting and the Joker ’s introduction . to boot , the movie maker were also testing the awe - breathe in potential of using IMAX cameras in Hollywood films .
for match the December deadline , Nolan had to film the prologue sequence first in April 2007 . This mean that Wally Pfister , the director of picture taking , would call for to determine the staple of filming on IMAX in January and thus convince the studio it would work . hold not yet greenish - lit Nolan ’s wishes to film on the pricier data formatting , Pfister ’s homework was subservient in gaining Warner Bros. commendation .
Nolan Challenged The Special Effects Teams
Having worked together onBatman Begins , Special Effects Coordinator Chris Corbould know Nolan well , and he especially knew that the visionary director liked to bespeak things that were high on visual prayer but abject on functionality .
The Bat - Pod was one such vault , as Corbould recalls thinking " you ’ve get to be jest " when seeing the plaything poser for the first time . Humorously speculate that Nolan had clearly never devolve on a motorcycle , he told him what he thought could sour ( driving in straight lines ) and what could n’t ( turns ) ; Nolan just reply : " you ’ll screen out it out . " The remainder ensue certainly thrilled audiences and the filmmakers likewise .
The Prestige Inspired The Visual Palette
In between his first two Batman ventures , Nolan co - write and directedThe Prestige , a smaller and more informal production . Apart from offer Nolan ’s product team a schnorkel from Gotham City , it also help shape some of the gorgeous cinematography forThe Dark Knight .
Pfister , who worked on both film , tell that film the dusk scenes inThe Prestigeinspired them to integrate a similar tone inThe Dark Knight . WhileBatman Beginsoperated in something of a rust fungus - orange and black visual chromaticity , the continuation featured more colors and multiple scene taking place at nightfall with a inscrutable grim tincture , such as Batman standing on the Sears Tower and Bruce ’s penthouse overlooking the metropolis .
The “Bat-Pack” Made An Appearance
While not initially meant to appear the path it did in the picture show , Batman ’s " Bat - Pack " made its big - sieve debut disregarding . In the prospect where Bruce stands high above Hong Kong preparing to pull Lau from his offices , consultation noticed Batman ’s mantle was not present when he jumps off the construction . It ’s only when he ’s in midair that it deploy like a chute out of the back of his suit .
Originally , the ingroup was created by Costume Designer Lindy Hemming for traverse on the Bat - Pod . Not knowing if the mantle would get caught up in the pod ’s geared wheel during operation , her squad ab initio developed the ring to keep it tucked away and secure . Test rides proved that the cape would stay on , and the stuntmen wore detachable capes instead .
Nolan Withheld The Movie From The Composers
As they had onBatman Begins , musical composers Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard devolve to collaborate on the continuation together . Due to Nolan ’s wishes for his movies to be character - force back , he intentionally withhold the film from them so that they could compose based on the eccentric and not attempt to simply publish to the film ’s editing beats .
The duo decided to divide the task into freestanding characters , with Zimmer taking the Joker and Howard Harvey Dent . The resultant were awesome , with Zimmer ’s un - nerving Joker stem announcing his presence anywhere he went , while Howard ’s tragically operatic piece mirrored Harvey ’s fall from grace .
The Truck Flip Stunt Man Wore Joker Makeup
It ’s no hugger-mugger thatNolan loves practical effects done on location , andTheDark Knighthad no famine of major stunt to shoot . None were more show - break off than the climactic oddment to the Joker and Batman ’s chase through Gotham .
Corbould ’s special effects team rigged a semi - hand truck to flip using a giant piston underneath the trailer , but only had a narrow stretch of road to operate with . In preparation for this , Nolan set up several cameras to catch the majestic stunt , while veteran stunt driver Jim Wilkey operated the truck . Unsure which slant would be used , Wilkey wore full Joker make - up just in case . Who sleep with , he may have even stupefy it applied by Ledger himself .
Gotham City Was Larger
The Dark Knightfeels like a larger film than it ’s precursor , but the story in reality enfold less geographic infinite . Taking berth entirely in Gotham City ( with a abbreviated respite to Hong Kong ) , even Bruce ’s penthouse is in the metropolis rather than on the outskirts , as is his novel Bat - Bunker .
Shooting more in the urban center allowed the product team to make the urban , New sense the script called for . The film ’s production architect Nathan Crowley excuse that by film more on fix than on curing , the film would feel magnanimous and rawer , which benefit the story they sought to tell .
Heath Ledger Was Gracious To The Crew
It goes without suppose that Ledger was amagnetic power of an worker . The cultism to his wiliness did n’t barricade him from being nice to those who help convey his performance to spirit though .
At the terminal of a day ’s motion-picture photography on a particular scene , Ledger feel he and his co - star were finding something special in their functioning . Rather than try on and recapture it the next day , he inquire Nolan if they could stay belated . Knowing this could be heavy on the crew , Nolan read months later that before he left that night , Ledger quiet give thanks each individual member of the crew for stick late .
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